Device for coupling a ski-bob to a ski lift

ABSTRACT

THIS INVENTION RELATES TO A DEVICE FOR COMPULING A SKI-BOB TO A SKI LIFE AND COMPRISES A HOOK INCLUDING A MOBILE ELEMENT ENSURING THE CLOSURE OF THE HOOK, A SPRING BIASED LOCK FOR LOCKING THE MOBILE ELEMENT IN CLOSED POSITION AND A CONTROL MEMBER OPERATING, WHEN ACTUATED, ON THE LOCK TO MAINTAIN THE LOCK IN A CLOSED POSITION AGAINST THE ACTION OF THE BIASING SPRING.

W. v H- R Y t "3,620,168

DEVICE FOR COUPLING A SKI BOB T0 A SKI LIFT Filed uec..;1 7, 1968INVENTOR Henri REY United States Patent Olfice 3,620,168 DEVICE FORCOUPLING A SKI-BOB TO A SKI LIFT Henri Rey, Hallie-Roche, Crans-Sierre,Switzerland Filed Dec. 17, 1968, Ser. No. 784,386 Claims priority,application Switzerland, Dec. 19, 1967, 17,910/ 67 Int. Cl. B61b 11/00US. Cl. 104202 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This inventionrelates to a device for coupling a ski-bob to a ski lift and comprises ahook including a mobile element ensuring the closure of the hook, aspring biased lock for locking the mobile element in closed position anda control member operating, when actuated, on the lock to maintain thelock in a closed position against the action of the biasing spring.

This invention relates to a device for coupling a skibob to a ski lift.

As commonly known, a ski-bob is a device adapted for sliding on snowcovered slopes and comprises generally two lined up skis of relativelyshort dimension. The back ski is fixed to the structure of the ski-bobbut the front ski is mounted on a steering axle permitting to controlthe ski-bob.

The use of slope lifts, of the ski lift types, for ski-bob adeptspresents a security problem which has not been satisfactorily resolvedso far.

Indeed, it is not sufiicient to couple the ski-bob to one of the towingcables of the ski lift in such a manner that the ski-bob adept is pulledon his ski-bob up to the highest station to the ski lift, but one mustbe sure that he will be able to uncouple the ski-bob without difiicultyfrom the towing cable when he reaches the upper station of the ski lift.Furthermore, it is essential that, in case of an accidental fall of theski-bob adept during the ascent, the ski-bob will be automaticallyuncoupled from the towing cable of the ski lift. I

If these conditions are not fulfilled, there is a risk well known tothose who use this type of installation, which is to see the towedski-bob being lifted by the towing cable at the location where the cableis wound on the return wheel of the ski lift and Subsequently smashedagainst the safety gate which surrounds the return wheel. The result ofsuch accidents is at least the breakage of the ski-bob, generallyconsiderable damages to the installation and in all cases the disruptionof the ski lift operation. The risk of accidents of this type has ledthe owners of the ski lifts to ban, for security reasons, theirinstallations to ski-bob adepts.

An object of the present invention is to solve the abovementionedproblem and to permit the always increasing number of adepts of this newsport to use ski lifts which were reserved until now to skiers alone.

In fact, the present invention guarantees that the skibob will beuncoupled every time that the circumstances require it.

The coupling device in accordance with the invention is characterized bythe fact that it comprises, mounted on the ski-bob, a hook including amobile element ensuring the closure of the hook, a spring biased lockfor locking said mobile element in closed position, and a control memberoperating, when actuated, on said lock to maintain said lock in closedposition, against the action of its biasing spring, whereby a ski-bobadept may, at the departing station of the ski lift, introduce in thehook a ring of the towing cable, close the hook, and by acting in a3,620,168 Patented Nov. 16, 1971 continuous fashion on said controlmember, maintain said hook closed during the ascent, and by releasingthe control member cause the automatic opening of the hook and thereleasing of the ring to uncouple the ski-bob from the ski lift.

The invention will now be described with reference to the accompanyingdrawings which illustrate, by way of example, an embodiment of theinvention.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a front view of the coupling device in accordance with theinvention;

FIG. 2 is a partial side view in the direction of arrow II of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a section view taken along III-III of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is a View similar to FIG. 3 taken along IVIV of FIG. 2,illustrating the operation of the device.

The device illustrated in FIG. 1 comprises a portion mounted on an angle10 riveted on an axle of the steering skate of a ski-bob, a controlhandle 11 secured to the handle bar of the ski-bob, and a control cable12.

The portion of the device supported by the angle 10 comprises (FIGS. 2and 3) a hook having a finger 13 pivoted at 14 on the horizontal portion15 of angle 10, this hook being intended to receive a ring A of a towingcable B of a ski lift, and further comprises a lock 16 including a lever17 pivoted in a bearing 18 and a biasing spring 19.

The bearing 18 is part of a member 20, welded on the portion 15 of angle10, which has two legs 21 to which are respectively attached the spring19 and the end of the sheath of cable 12, which end is provided with anadjusting screw 22.

The locking portion of lever 17 comprises a catch 23.

Under the action of spring 19, lever 17 takes the position shown in FIG.4, position in which catch 23 is retracted and does not prevent thefinger 13 of the hook to swing back (FIG. 2) when a traction is exertedon it by ring A. On the contrary, when the handle 11 is pulled againstthe handle bar, lever 17 pivots against the action of spring 19 andcatch 23 locates itself in the path of hook 13 which is thereby lockedin position (FIGS. 1, 3 and 4). Screw 22 permits to adjust the lockingposition of lever 17.

The coupling device illustrated and disclosed operates as follows: Atthe departing station of the ski lift, the skibob adept gets hold of aring A of the towing cable, engages it in the hook 13, and locks thehook by pulling the handle 11 against the handle bar. The ski-bob isthereby coupled to the towing cable by which it is pulled. When theski-bob adept arrives at the top of the hill, he releases the handle 11which causes the hook '13 to pen under the pull of the towing cable. Thering A is released from the book 13 and the ski-bob is uncoupled fromthe ski lift.

If, during the ascent, the ski-bob adept falls accidentally, he releasesautomatically the handle 11 which causes, as disclosed previously, theopening of hook 13 under the pull of ring A, the release of the latterand the uncoupling of the ski-bob from the ski lift.

The invention is obviously not limited to the embodiment represented inthe drawings. In particular, the portion of the device mounted on theaxle of the steering skate could be fixed on the handle bar on the frameof the ski-bob if the stability of the equilibrium of the skibob adeptcould be improved that way. Similarly, it may be foreseen to provide acertain freedom of movement to the fastening of the portion of thedevice mounted, in the example disclosed, on the axle of the steeringskate, in such a manner that this portion automatically takes its mostfavorable position for the equilibrium of the ski-bob adept, and eveneventually modifies its position according to the variable gradient ofthe slope, the weight of the ski-bob adept, etc.

Moreover, a second spring may be provided, working for example incompression if the first spring 19 works in tension to increase thesecurity of operation of the device. Indeed, a breaking of the spring 19could occur during the ascent of the ski-bob adept which would impairthe opening of the hook and consequently the release of the ski-bob if asecond safety spring is not provided. Furthermore, the catch 23 may bedesigned in such a way that hook 13 is automatically released from lock16 under the action of a pull on ring A if lever 17 is not subjected tothe action of the biasing spring or springs, for example in the case ofa breaking of the spring or springs. That way, a triple security ofoperation of the device may be realized.

I claim:

1. A device for coupling a ski-bob to the towing cable of a ski liftcomprising:

(a) a support adapted to be secured to a ski-bob;

(b) a hook mounted on said support and including a mobile elementcapable of ensuring the closure of the hook;

(c) a lock mounted on said support and adapted, when operated, tomaintain said mobile element into a position ensuring the closure of thehook, said lock comprising a lever having a catch which is adapted to bepositioned in the path of the mobile element of said hook when the lockis operated;

(d) a member secured to said support and including a central portion forpivotally mounting said lever at a point intermediate the ends thereofand two legs;

(e) a spring having one end secured to one end of said lever and theother end to one of said legs for biasing said lever into a restposition permitting release of said mobile element; and

(f) a cable attached to the other end of said lever for operating saidlock against the action of said spring, said cable being enclosed in aprotecting sheath having one end thereof secured to the other leg ofsaid member, whereby a ski-bob adept may at the departure station of theski lift introduce into the hook the end of the towing cable of the skilift, close said hook and, by acting in a continuous fashion on saidcable, maintain the hook in closed position during the ascend and, byreleasing the cable, cause the automatic opening of the hook by saidbiasing spring and the release of the towing cable.

2. A coupling device as defined in claim 1, wherein the end of thesheath of the cable includes an adjusting screw for permittingadjustment of the locking position of the lever.

3. A coupling device as defined in claim 1, further comprising handlebars for controlling said ski-bob, and wherein said cable is attached tothe handle bars of the ski-bob.

4. A coupling device as defined in claim 3, wherein the ski-bob includesa steering axle and wherein said support is mounted on said steeringaxle.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,432,548 12/1947 Taylor 24432,708,886 5/1955 Neely 104-170 2,966,863 1/1961 Heichel 104l70 3,l88,4186/1965 Pino ZOO-61.12 3,071,100 1/1963 Nicholson et al. 104-202 ARTHURL. LA POINT, Primary Examiner R. SAIFER, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R.104l73

